India crush Windies Match 34 by 125 runs but for Keeper gross error it may have been quite different

India crush Windies Match 34 by 125 runs but for Keeper gross error it may have been quite different

Neil Whitaker reports

WEST Indies became the third team to be eliminated from the World Cup as they went down to India by 125 runs with at Old Trafford.

They were outplayed by India in all departments. India made them pay for their mistakes in dropping the Great Man Virat Kohli and missing the stumping and run out of MS Dhoni. After India had won the toss, decided to bat and post a score of 268,incidentally the average score for a side batting first in this tournament.

It was sad end for a team that had such a brilliant start beating Pakistan by seven wickets with pace with over 36 overs to spare at Nottingham on the last day of May. Today the West Indies were unsettled by the pace of Mohammad Sami who took four wickets for 16 runs in 6.2 overs. The West Indies lost seven wickets for 63 runs in 14 overs.

Kemer Roach said: “The guys were very confident for that match but after that we’ve had a couple of games where it was tough to get over the line but the lads are keeping their heads up. We are still learning.

I am very proud of my performance today being very economical.”

Both openers Chris Gayle and Sunil Ambris seemed unsettled by the pace of Mohammed Sami and it was his pace that got him Gayle’s wicket. He got a short ball to rise at Gayle who got too far under a pull shot and Kedar Jadhav took an easy catch.

Two overs later Shai Hope was bowled through the gate by Sami, Hope couldn’t believe what had happened as he just stood there. India were in complete control and they restricted the West Indies to 29 for two in their first 10 overs the lowest score in a team’s first powerplay in the tournament.

Nicholas Pooran pulled the ball after he had added fifty with Ambris, and it just had enough power to evaded Rohit Sharma at mid on. Two balls later the partnership was broken when Ambris was trapped leg before off Hardik Pandya

India thought that they had dismissed Shimron Hetmyer caught at slip off Kuldeep Yadav but Hetmyer reviewed it. For the third time in the match TV umpire Michael Gough overruled the standing umpires. They did get their fourth wicket in Yadav’s next over. Pooran went for a big drive but wasn’t over the ball and Sami took the catch at long off.

After missing consecutive attempts at cutting Jadhav, West Indies skipper Jason Holder drove the next ball to Yadav at mid off.

Carlos Brathwaite was done by a beauty from Jasprit Bumrah, it pitched on off and left him. MS Dhoni took a brilliant one handed catch diving to his right. Bumrah found himself on an hat trick when Fabian Allen was adjudged leg before. Allen reviewed it and the replay showed it was umpires call clipping the top of off. Kumar Roach survived the hat trick ball trick ball by managing to get his bat on a yorker.

After those two wickets Kohli replaced Bumrah with Sami at the Brian Statham end and he struck with his third ball. Hetmyer sliced a drive to KL Rahul at point.

Sheldon Cottrell pulled Jadhav over mid wicket for a four and drilled the the next ball over deep mid wicket for giantantic six. Three balls later Jadhav pinned him back on his stumps and was leg before.

India were convinced that the match was over when they thought Oshane Thomas was caught by Sharma at slip. The umpires reviewed it and gave the soft signal of out. For the fourth time Gough overruled the onfield umpires. With nothing to lose Roach and Thomas enjoyed themselves by adding 19 for the last wicket until Thomas gloved a short ball from Sami.

Holder said: “We let ourselves down in the field and our batsmen weren’t consistent.”

In India’s innings Kohli top scored with 78, his fourth consecutive fifty in the tournament but the West Indies fluffed their chance to get him when he was on seven.

Roach added: “Kohli is a class player and it’s always tough coming up,against him. I thought that on that pitch 260 was below par.”

Both KL Rahul and Kohli found it difficult to get Holder away, his first two overs were maidens and only eight runs from his next three overs and he got the wicket of Rahul who was bowled through the gate. For the first time in this World Cup Holder bowled his 10 overs and conceeded 33 runs and 24 of those came from six balls.

Kohli helped a bouncer from Cottrell on its way to the fine leg boundary. He placed Thomas into the covers for a single to bring up his fifty.

Kohli pulled a half tracker from Holder to substitute fielder Darren Bravo on for Gayle at mid wicket. Kohli walked off to stunned silence. With Dhoni they added 40 in 10 overs and 36 of them came after the West Indies had missed stumping Dhoni.

On seven Dhoni charged Allen was beaten by the turn and Hope made a complete mess of the stumping, dislodging the bail without the ball. Kohli called Dhoni thorough for a single who made it home after Hope’s throw at the bowler’s end missed.

India reached 268 thanks to a sixth wicket partnership of 70 in 10 overs between Dhoni and Hardik. Hardik playing his first match of the tournament got off with a boundary through square leg courtesy of Thomas who parried it over the boundary line. He clubbed Brathwaite straight for another boundary and powered Cottrell to the long off boundary.

Up to now Dhoni was very much the silent partner. With the crowd chanting Dhoni, Dhoni, he duly obliged them and chipped Brathwaite over mid off to the boundary. Once again the quality of the West Indies fielding let them down. On 37 Dhoni chipped a return catch to Thomas but he fell in his follow through and couldn’t hold the catch. He stood and delivered Thomas into the temporary stand to the delight of the Indian fans for a six. Pulled him for a straight four to bring up his first fifty of the tournament.

The West Indies broke the partnership between Hardik and Dhoni when Hardik sliced a drive off Cottrell and Allen on the point boundary took a steapling catch.

After winning the toss and electing to bat on a slow pitch the first five overs of India’s innings was very sedate but the game exploded to life in the sixth over. 12 runs came from it including a six from Rohit when he pulled Roche off the front foot over square leg, a four from a straight drive by KL Rahu when Roache over pitched and a wicket. The West Indies went up for a catch behind off an inside edge, the appeal was turned and the West Indies reviewed. The TV umpire Michael Gough overturned the onfield decision.

On 16 KL Rahul clipped Cottrell just wide off Pooran at square leg, he fended at the next ball which was short and again it fell wide this time Holder at second slip.

A late delightful late cut by KL Rahul off Allen to brought up his second consecutive fifty partnership with Kohli off 68 balls. A clever sweep off Allen in his next over took him to a couple short off his fifty.

Vijay Shankar started and finished Holder’s sixth over with boundaries. The first was a drive through extra cover that Thomas couldn’t get his boot too and the second was off the last ball when he flicked Holder off his hips.

Roache got his second with his first ball after he was brought back into the attack. Shankar got an outside edge when he didn’t get fully forward and Hope took his second catch of the innings.

Roach and Hope combined again to dismiss Jadhav who tried to run Roach through third man. Hope went up for the catch which was turned down by onfield umpire Richard Kettleborough. Again Holder went for a review and again Gough overturned the onfield decision.